The Ash Story V2
by fancyleatherchairs
Summary: A completely overhauled version of "The Ash Story." You will laugh, you will cry, and you will  hopefully  enjoy the updated, shinier version just as much as you did the old, crusty version. All Harry Potter characters belong to JKR. Ash is mine. Enjoy!
1. The New Girl

yooooo i've been thinking about this story a lot & decided it would be in everyone's best interests if i went back & rewrote the first 6 years of Ash & the twins' friendship b/c i basically skipped out on most of it which is p lame anyway here's the revamped, much longer, quite a bit darker (later on) version of the ash story

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YEAR 0

1 year before HP&TPS

"Percival, Joseph."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Pince, Lucy."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Pucktof, Ahamed."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Sanchéz, Emily."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Seether, Ashley."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Fred Weasley applauded with the rest as the new Gryffindor joined the table. Of all the new arrivals so far, he found her by far the most interesting. Her hair was thick and chocolate brown, and her eyes were a bright hazel. Other than that, she was fairly normal looking, but she had something. A spark. That was it. Fred looked over at his brother to see that he had noticed it too.

"She's cute."

"Lay off, George. She just sat down. At least wait until pudding."

George grinned.

"Oh, alright."

A few moments silence. Then:

"Can I at least welcome her to Gryffindor?"

"Sure, whatever." Fred was more focused on the mountains of food that had appeared instantly on the table. He looked up after his plate was fully loaded, to see his twin get up, walk around to the other side of the table, and sit down next to the new girl. He watched as George talked to the girl, while piling his plate high with mashed potatoes. George said something that was either funny or flattering, because the girl giggled and blushed slightly. Then, George got up with his plate, and returned to his seat next to Fred.

"So, how'd it go?" Fred asked as his brother sat down.

"Pretty good. I think we have the bases for a strong relationship. Did you know she's American?"

"Is she really?" Fred said, intrigued. "I thought Hogwarts didn't take foreigners."

"Not usually," George replied. "I suppose she must have family here. Lucky for me too," he added. "I reckon I'll be seeing a lot more of her in the near future."

Fred laughed.

"What in the name of Merlin's most aged Y-fronts are you talking about? You just met her!"

"Yeah?" George said with a knowing half-smile. "You'll see."

Fred smirked and returned to his chicken. As he caught sight of Ashley again, he noticed that beneath the usual shock and wonder that most first years experienced in the aftermath of their Sorting, she seemed anxious and uncomfortable. He decided that she was most likely overwhelmed by the school and the journey to it, and that she'd settle in with time. However, he couldn't help but check on her every now and again; after all, it was difficult not knowing anyone on your first day.


	2. What Are Friends For?

Ash forced herself to swallow one last mouthful of her cherry pie before pushing her plate away. She scanned the Gryffindor table, not looking for anyone in particular. Her eyes fell on the second year student who had stopped by to welcome her to Hogwarts. George. That was his name. He was talking animatedly to someone who could only be his twin brother. Ash watched them until the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, stood up to make an announcement.

The hall fell silent almost instantly.

"Welcome, one and all, to another year at Hogwarts. Now that we are well fed and watered, I have a few announcements to make.

"First, let us welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Quirrel."

Ash looked at the new professor. He wore a large purple turban, and his eye appeared to be twitching. He looked as nervous as she felt. She couldn't blame him; studyingat such a school was daunting enough, never mind _teaching _at it.

The applause died down as Dumbledore continued to speak.

"Secondly, anyone wishing to try out for Quidditch need only to speak to their Head of House, or Madam Hooch." He inclined his head graciously to a woman with short grey hair and eyes like a hawk. "Finally, our caretaker, Mr. Filch would like to remind you that the forest is off limits to _everyone_."

His bright blue eyes scanned the tables, and fell upon Fred and George, who were smirking, as if sharing a private joke.

"That will be all," Dumbledore said. "Off to bed now, all of you. You have busy days ahead of you."

There was a deafening scraping sound as the students rose from their tables. Ash stood, and instantly panicked. The crowd was incredibly dense, like an ocean. To make matters worse, Ash was small for her age and had no idea where the dormitories were. She stood, frozen, unable to determine who to follow in the swirling sea of black robes and pointed hats. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She whipped around to find herself staring into the face of George Weasley.

"Hey there. No need to worry, Fred and I know a shortcut to the dormitories," he said. His brother, who was standing beside him, nodded.

"Okay," Ash said, mentally sighing in relief. She wasn't sure what to think about the already-tall boy who had welcomed her, a complete stranger, to Gryffindor House, but at the moment she was merely grateful for someone to help her navigate the sprawling castle.

"Great." George smiled. He steered her through the crowd, keeping a tight grip on her shoulder and ignoring a boy with hair as bright as George's own and horn-rimmed glasses, who was yelling, "First years this way!" When they reached the exit, he pulled her to the side and let the bulk of the crowd pass, before slipping into a corridor hidden behind a purple tapestry.

"So," George said as they walked. "This is my twin brother, Fred."

"Hello," Ash said shyly.

"Hey," Fred said, smiling. "You're… Ashley, right?"

"Ash," Ash corrected.

"Alright." Fred leaned close and whispered audibly, "Sorry about my brother. You'll find that I'm better mannered, more fun to talk to, and much handsomer."

"In your dreams!" George said indignantly. "Better manners…rubbish! Who was it that welcomed her to Gryffindor?"

"He's got a point," Ash said. She was enjoying their banter, and found herself relaxing. Both twins seemed equally friendly and easy to talk to, which was a relief after her solitary train ride and silence-filled journey to the Great Hall.

"Ah, I can see that this one's a lost cause," Fred was saying seriously. "You've already corrupted her, George."

"Good," George said, slinging an arm across Ash's shoulders. "Now you can't steal her from me." Ash looked down and let her hair hide the flush that momentarily swept over her skin. Caught off guard by the sudden invasion of her personal space, but not wanting to come off as easy or meek, she ducked out from under George's arm.

"Wrong, both of you," she grinned, trying to look more confident than she felt. "I belong to _me_." George was momentarily taken aback, but the right corner of Fred's mouth creeped crookedly upwards. Ash knew she had scored a point or two, and felt the tightness in her chest easing. _This isn't so bad at all._

Suddenly, they came to a stop in front of a portrait of a lady clad in layers and layers of pink fabric. She was quite positively enormous.

"You're late," she said. George waved her words away like a cloud of midges.

"It's not nine o'clock yet, is it?" he asked.

"No," she said grudgingly, "But I certainly hope you know the password."

George's cocky manner vanished. "I don't know the password! Percy'll have our hide if he finds out we took the tapestry passage," he hissed urgently to his brother.

Fred grinned lazily. "Lucky for you, _I _thought ahead. It's _venomous tentacula_."

"Correct." The portrait swung forward, revealing a hole in the wall hidden behind it. George hopped through the portrait hole with ease. Fred followed, but stopped to help Ash through the opening.

"Well, at least one of you is a gentleman," she muttered. Fred smirked.

The room beyond the wall was comfortable, and consisted of tables, chairs, and large squashy armchairs seated around a roaring fire. Two curved stone staircases were visible on either end of the fireplace. As she looked around, Ash realized that the portrait was the door to the Gryffindor common room and dormitories.

She spotted Fred and George talking with a dreadlocked boy who was obviously a friend of theirs. Other Gryffindors sat or stood in small groups, laughing and talking animatedly, most of them older students glad to be reunited with their friends after the summer holidays. Ash's eyes burned suddenly, and she felt the knot in her stomach returning. All the events leading up to her arrival dropped on her head like an anvil. Her mother's discovery of her ability when she was only a child…the subsequent move to live with her aunt in Scotland, so she could have a chance at a better magical education…leaving the only home she'd ever known for a foreign country… Her short temper and tendency to cause strange phenomenon when she was angry had been like a wall, isolating her from the other children in the small southern town where she was born. In Scotland, it had been no different; her aunt lived in a small country village where everyone had known each other since birth and mistrusted strangers, not the least a chubby seven-year-old with a strange almost-drawl and a perpetual frown. Even though she was now in a school with people who were all technically her peers, she still felt like an outsider.

As Ash stood there, trying to keep herself together, George looked up, caught her eye, and waved her over. Instantly, the weight of sadness in her chest was replaced by that of nerves. What did he want? She composed herself, took a deep breath, and headed towards the boys by the fire.

"This is Ash," George said to the dreadlocked boy when she arrived.

"Hi," Ash said.

"Hey," he replied, smiling easily. "I'm Lee Jordan. So, what's a pretty girl like you doing on our side of the pond?"

Ash shrugged. "We found out I was magic when I was six," she explained. "My mom has family here that are magic, and she sent me to live with them so I could have a chance at an education at Hogwarts."

"So, if you've lived here since you were small, why do you still have an accent?" Lee questioned, raising an eyebrow jokingly.

Ash grinned hesitantly. He had the same easygoing manner as the twins, and it put her at ease. "I guess because I was already talking when I moved. I picked up the vernacular, though. I sound ridiculous back home. People on the plane stare at me whenever I visit my mum."

"Plane?" Lee said blankly. Ash realized that he must have been born into a wizarding family, and therefore had no knowledge of normal—Muggle—life. She blushed, feeling stupid. She was about to correct her mistake when Fred did it for her.

"A bit metal thing that flies through the air," he supplied.

"Exactly…wait, how do you know?" Ash asked, surprised.

Fred grimaced. "My dad. Me n' George are from an all-magic family, but Dad's obsessed with Muggle things. You know what a Muggle is, right?"

"Of course!" Ash said indignantly. "My mum might not be magic herself, but it runs in her side of the family. I'm not _that _sheltered."

"What about your dad?" George asked suddenly. "You haven't mentioned him."

Ash felt her expression harden. "My dad left. I never met him."

"Oh." An awkward silence descended. Then, George patted her on the back and said, "Well, don't worry about it. You're at Hogwarts, the best wizarding school around! Me and Fred have only been here a year but we've already found tons of secret passages. Knowing where they are'll make getting to your classes a lot easier."

"You're gonna show them to me?" Ash asked, hardly daring to hope.

"Of course! What are friends for, right?"

Ash looked up at him, her mouth open in shock, when they were interrupted by a group of second year girls.

"Lee, is it true that you brought a tarantula?" one girl asked.

"Yes, Katie, that is very true," Lee grinned.

"Can we see?" Katie asked excitedly.

"But of course." Lee's grin widened. He pulled out a cardboard box from the pocket of his robes and removed the lid with a flourish. A large hairy leg appeared over the edge of the box. The girls shrieked. Ash jumped, trod on George's foot, and bumped into Fred as she made a hasty exit off his brother's toes. Lee looked up from putting the box back into his robes to see George hopping about, holding his foot, and Fred and Ash holding onto each other for support as they laughed. Lee chuckled, and George started to smile. Soon, all four of them were roaring with laughter.

Ash looked from Fred to George to Lee, and felt relief washing over her. As long as she could hold on to the twins, seven years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would be a cinch. After all, what were friends for?


End file.
